Grade 5 ELA Module 3A, Unit 1

In this brief unit, students will build their background knowledge about the importance of sports within the American culture over time. They will read two informational articles: “It’s Not Just a Game!” and “The Literature of Baseball: The Quintessential American Game.” Students will also be reintroduced to reading and writing arguments (RI.5.8 and W.5.1). They will begin to explore how to read opinion pieces. They will be introduced to the term “opinion” and be asked to identify and explain how authors use evidence to support their opinions. For the mid-unit assessment, students will read and answer text-dependent questions about a new informational article, “Roots of American Sports,” which will help further build students’ knowledge about the importance of sports in American society. For the end of unit on-demand assessment, students begin to practice citing evidence to support an opinion, specifically: “Sports are an important part of American Culture.” Then they will identify supporting evidence for the opinion, organize their ideas, and write an opinion paragraph using the opinion and supporting details they identified.